The 5K!!!

Well I completed my 1st goal of the new year! I ran my 5K race on Saturday!!!! It was QUITE the event let me tell you! Me, Joelyn, Chalise & our friend Barbara had been planning to run in this race for weeks & the night before we were all sorts of nervous. I just really wanted to do well & not feel like a flabby loser. The night before the race I went to bed early to get a proper night’s sleep. I felt way loser-ish going to bed at 9:00 on a Friday night but whatever! I woke up really early Saturday morning so I could eat breakfast & start hydrating. I was still nervous & as Joelyn drove us over to the race she kept saying she was just gonna drop me off & leave! I am so sure! So we got to the race & got our packets which had some pretty random stuff in them. A can of pineapple juice, a pen, a packet of rapid energy jell (gross!), and a t-shirt that I’m sure won’t fit me! The only useful thing in there was a coupon for a free loaf of bread from Great Harvest!

After that we had a little photo session with ourselves per usual.



Then we were ready to run!! There were a lot of people racing including my girl arch nemesis from the gym. Oh gosh really?! So we get ready at the starting line & my parents are no where to be found. Are you kidding me? I only reminded them about this 43 times & they know what a big day & event this is for me & they can’t be bothered to show up? Whatever I’ve got a race to run! So me & Joelyn decided to run together & help eachother keep pace & both decide that we’ll walk for a minute to get warmed up. But when the race started & everybody took off running I took off running too! Sorry Joelyn! I saw Sherri & Martin about ½ mile into the run standing on the road cheering me on. It was so great! Now the thing about running is that it’s WAY different running on a treadmill than it is outside. It is WAY harder running outside & since the weather had been so rude lately I had had very little outside running time. I was crapping out really fast. I must have gotten a jolt of runner’s adrenaline cuz I just kept running & running. Not gonna front I had to walk here & there a little bit but overall I think I did really good. Don’t worry that all the incline & little hills were at the end of the course. Why?! I still can’t believe my parents weren’t there! So I’m rounding the last ¼ mile of the race…I can see the finish line….Michael Jackson’s “Will You Be There” is blaring on my ipod….I look up….and there are my parents!!! They came!! It was quite a moment & all the events of the last year plus the thrill of seeing them there plus MJ singing just swirled around in my head & I about lost it! I started running faster to the finish line & by the time I got the end I wanted to die. I DID IT!! I ran my race!!

Joelyn & Barbara crossed the finish line a few minutes after I did & then we went back to where my parents were standing to cheer Chalise on to the finish. She was walking the course instead of running but when she got about 20 feet from the finish line she just took off running til the end. It was so great!



At the finish line!



Afterwards Great Harvest fed us sandwiches & handed out loaves of bread…mmmmm cinnamon burst my fave! What a great morning! Shortly after my race started Sherri & Martin were participating in a walk for MS at another spot along the river so I headed over to see them & got my picture taken with Darth Vader! Delightful!



So I ran my race & I am quite pleased with myself! This time last year I was a fat, flabby mess & now I’m running in a race. Well done Melissa! I plan on doing another one august 7th & this time I will run the entire thing without stopping!